Medical Teams Blog: Stories of boldly breaking barriers to health

Sign up to receive the blog directly to your email inbox

Ebola Update: A note from our CEO.

by
User Not Found
| Aug 07, 2014

Dear friends and partners,

As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history continues to spread through West Africa, I want to take a moment to update you on the efforts of Medical Teams International to help contain the outbreak, as well as update you on Dr. Alan Jamison, a MTI volunteer who recently returned from Liberia with no symptoms of Ebola.

True to our mission of demonstrating the love of Christ to people affected by disaster, MTI has responded to the Ebola outbreak by providing medical supplies and training for community health workers. Our support, with guidance from the Liberian Ministry of Health, is to prioritize education through community health workers. This has been deemed the best way to combat the spread of Ebola.

At MTI, we are equally committed to the safety and security of our staff as we are to the work we are doing in preventing the further spread of Ebola. While MTI’s 15 in-country staff continue their maternal and child health programs along with Ebola awareness initiatives, MTI and other organizations – following the guidance from the Liberian Ministry of Health – have temporarily suspended the use of volunteers from outside the country. We will continue to work and coordinate closely with the Ministry of Health, as well as the US Embassy, the World Health Organization and other NGO’s to ensure we are monitoring and responding properly to the ongoing outbreak.

Dr. Jamison, a four-year volunteer with MTI, recently returned to the United States from Liberia after serving as a MTI volunteer. For Dr. Jamison’s security, we thought it prudent to bring him home at this time. He has expressed appreciation for the continued support he has received, feels excellent and is confident he does not have Ebola.

In closing, I want to personally assure you on behalf of MTI that we are not concerned about the spread of Ebola in the US, and urge you to learn more about the virus and steps many of the top health organizations are taking to ensure the virus does not spread in the US.

We are confident that the ongoing efforts by MTI and others on the ground will curb the outbreak soon. Until then, we ask for prayer for all those affected, their families and the dedicated healthcare workers. Please continue to help support MTI’s efforts to control the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa by donating here.